The combination of salmon and huckleberries screams Pacific Northwest. Salmon with huckleberry sauce is truly a tasty showstopper that will be enjoyed by all. It is the perfect dish to showcase the late summer season. (Wild, or store-bought blueberries can be substituted if you don’t have access to huckleberries.)

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Here on Whidbey Island, it is salmon season. When walking the beach, I can literally see them jumping just off the shore. Boats dot the miles of coastline around the Island, casting lines and hoping for the “big one” to take the bait. With such a plethora of salmon, it isn’t too hard to find a fisherman…. and fresh salmon.

My bookkeeper Suzanne, who lives about five minutes down the road, is an avid fisherwoman. She takes it very seriously, as most people who are into fishing do. She practices her art in the most simple form: a pole, a lure, and a pair of rubber boots. Fishing from the beach, she happily spends her extra time during fishing season. This year, Suzanne invited me to join her! I am so excited to go, since I haven’t been fishing since my kids were little. We haven’t set up our plans yet, but in the meantime, my mind is on salmon – remembering beach fishing with my family, and pondering tasty recipes to make with my future catch.

This recipe for salmon with huckleberry sauce is quite quick and simple. For the amount of effort and time put into it, the results are spectacular. The natural acidity of the berries balance out the buttery salmon quite nicely. If you don’t have access to fresh or frozen huckleberries, you can use fresh or frozen blueberries or lingonberries. They will make a nice substitution. If you would really like to try this lovely recipe with huckleberries, you can order lovely, wild huckleberries from Northwest Wild Foods. https://nwwildfoods.com/products/fresh-frozen-idaho-huckleberries?sca_ref=9552109.f8susya3ZW8K You could also ensure the most flavorful and fresh salmon by ordering from Northwest Wild Foods. Their Salmon Sampler lets you try three varieties of salmon: King, Sockeye, and Silver. Caught sustainably, cleaned and frozen within 25 minutes of catch. https://nwwildfoods.com/products/wild-alaskan-salmon-sampler?variant=44392886010140&sca_ref=9552109.f8susya3ZW8K (If you order from above links, I will receive a small commission, but the price for you remains unchanged).

Ingredients

Salmon

1 6oz Piece of Salmon Normal serving size is 5-6 oz. per person
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Lrg. Pinch Salt

Huckleberry (or Blueberry) Sauce

1/2 Cup Huckleberries Can substitute Blueberries. Can use fresh or frozen berries. If using fresh, you may need to add 1-2 tablespoons of water to your berries while in your measuring cup. If using frozen, thaw, then measure, taking care to spoon in several tablespoons of liquid into your measuring cup.
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Small Clove Garlic, peeled, minced/pressed Select a clove that is quite small, as the garlic is an underlying flavor, not the star of the show
1/2 tsp Fresh Marjoram, finely chopped Can use 1/4 t. dried instead of fresh
1 Tbsp high quality Balsamic Vinegar, thick & sweet
2 tsp Brown Sugar

Instructions

Salmon

Prepare salmon by sprinkling with salt.
Heat cast iron pan, add butter.
Once butter is melted, add salmon, skin side down. Top with 2 tablespoons butter. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom 1/4 – 1/2 of salmon is cooked. You should keep an eye on the cut edge of the salmon to determine the doneness. This amount of time will vary based on the thickness of your salmon.
Once salmon is about 1/4-1/2 cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon butter, garlic, and marjoram to pan. Heat for about 30 seconds, to release the aromatics.
Add berries, balsamic, brown sugar, and 1 more tablespoon butter. Stir until simmering.

Finishing Salmon

Add salmon back to pan. Simmer in berry sauce for about 2-3 more minutes (or more, based on salmon thickness).
Once salmon is almost done, spoon juice and berries over the salmon. Cover and let cook for about 1 minute more.
Remove to plate. Spoon sauce over salmon. Enjoy.

Notes

This recipe is written for one 6oz serving of salmon. However, the quantity of sauce that is produced, will easily cook and cover two servings of salmon.

Salmon with Huckleberry Sauce (or Blueberry Sauce)